The forage legumes of the genus and its impact on animal copper nutrition of flooding pampas

A. PEREA-GARCÍA; F. J. ESCARAY; M. A. BAILLERES; G. J. COPELLO; C. J. ANTONELLI; D. ROSA; L. FAZZIO; G. MATTIOLI; O. A. RUIZ

Simposio; Fifth International Symposium of Forage Breeding; 2015

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms. However certain conditions on soil, as for example alkaline or flooded soils, can cause a lower uptake of this micronutrient by plants. These soil conditions are present in Flooding Pampas where the bovine production is the principal activity based on natural grassland. Low levels of Cu in forage affect cattle production, causing hypocuprosis that is the second most important nutritional deficiency on this region. A practice used to prevent hypocuprosis is a subcutaneous injection of Cu solution, but another possibility is to improve the forage increasing the content of this micronutrient. In this sense, it has been described that legumes have more Cu content than grasses, however only a few forage legumes are able to develop properly in Flooding Pampas conditions. Lotus species, in particular L. tenuis, is a good candidate for evaluating the benefical effect of higher copper contents in forage. For this purpose, in association with the Chacra Experimental Integrada Chascomús (where it has carried out a comparative study of natural grassland and promoting L. tenuis) we evaluate the Cu content of both situations. Measurements taken for each season in a whole year reveal a metal sufficiency condition for plants, however L. tenuis contain almost double Cu concentration than grasses. To complete the information will evaluate other ions that may interfere with the Cu uptake, such as iron, molybdenum and sulphur. Considering our preliminary results, the promotion practice of L. tenuis could be used as a new approach to improve the animal fitness from a nutritional point of view.